Book protector



Jan.24, 1939. v R P, H RP 2,145,098

BOOK PROTECTOR Filed May 12. 1937 INVENTOR.

Huber-E 1 5115 ATTOl QNEYS.

Patented Jan. 24, 1939 UNITED STATES BOOK PROTECTOR Robert Perry Sharp, Uvalde, Tex., assignor to Sharp & Company, Uvalde, Tex., a corporation of Texas Application May 12, 1937, Serial No. 142,255

1 Claim. (01. 281-34) This invention relates to book cover enclosures or protectors, and more particularly to an enclosure or protector formed from a sheet or sheets of suitable pliable and foldable material.

An important object of the invention is to provide a protector which will give adequate protection to the corners of a book cover enclosed thereby and will not bulge nor wrinkle.

Another object is to provide a protector which is easy to fit to book covers of various sizes.

Still another object is to provide a protector which may initially comprise a rectangular sheet of suitable material but may be easily cut into, without wasting any of the material, to provide a covering for the covers of a book.

Another object is to provide a book cover protector, containing flaps which may be pasted, yet the construction is such that, in opening and closing the book, the pasted flaps will not tear loose nor break away.

Yet another object is to provide a book 'cover protector, containing inwardly projecting flaps, which flaps will not tend to tear the book covers loose from the book nor tear the covers away from the backs.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification and in which drawing:-

Figure 1 is a perspective View of the flattened blank from which the protector is made, with a book, to which the blank is to be fitted, in place and showing the first step of fitting the blank to the book cover.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the next step of fitting the blank to the cover.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing a subsequent step, after the book is temporarily removed and certain portions of the protector folded and others parted to form flaps.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the book again in position with portions of the flaps in place.

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating a method of attaching certain flaps of the protector together.

Figure 6 shows the protector in its final position about the book covers.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of the invention and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, the letter A may designate genincluding a conventional front cover having an outer face H and an inner face l2, a rear cover |3 having an outer face I4 and an inner face l5, and a back l6. While the term book is employed, it should be understood that the novel protector may be employed in protecting magazine covers, snap shot album covers, portfolio covers and the like.

As for the novel protector or enclosure B, this initially comprises one or more sheets of suitable material. In the example shown, one sheet is employed and it is preferred'to employ but one sheet in order to cover or protect each book. This sheet is preferably of easily foldable ma.- terial, such as paper, cardboard, canvas, leather or the like, and is rectangular, having substantially parallelside edges 2| and 22, and substantially paralleling end edges 23 and 24, joining the-edges 2| and 22.

The :sheet 20 is adapted to be initially folded in the well known or conventional way of turning inwardly the side portions 25 and 26 so-that, when these are folded flat along the dotted lines 21 and 28 which define the top and bottom edges respectively of the protector, the width of the folded sheet 20 is substantially that of the height of the covers of the book A. These fold lines 21 and 28 may be determined as clearly shown in Figure 1, which illustrates a well known method.

Next, the folding of the end portions 29 and 3|] of the sheet 20 ismade, as in conventional practice, by placing the partly folded sheet about the book, as shown in Figure 2, and folding the end portions 29 and 3!! inwardly along the determined fold lines 3| and 32, shown in Figure 3. These dotted lines 3| and 32 define the end edges of the protector as Well asthe inner longitudinal ends of the end portions 29 and 30.

From this point, there is a radical departure from the conventionaLior each of the side portions 25 and 26 are divided into 'five separate sections or fiaps33 to 3l inclusive,'as shownin Figure 3, by suitable slits extending inwardly from the side edges 2| and 22. These slits extend inwardly to the fold lines 21 and 28.

Sections 33 and 31 are substantially alike in area and may be termed the outermost sections. One section 33 is defined by a portion of the side edge 2|, a portion of the fold line 21 and one of said slits, the other section 33 is defined by a portion of the side edge 22, a portion of the fold line 28 and one other of the slits aligning with the 55 slit just mentioned. One section 31 is defined by a portion of the end edge 2|, a portion of the fold line 21, and a third slit, while the other section 31 is defined by a portion of the end edge 23, a portion of the fold line 28, and a fourth slit, aligning with the third slit mentioned. It should be noted that the width of these sections 33 from the end edge 24 to their boundary slits, is such that a portion of the fold line 32 extends lengthwise of the section 33, and the width of the similar sections 31 are such that a portion of the fold line 3| extends lengthwise of the sections 31.

The sections 35 are located midway of the end edges 23 and 24 and are wider than the width of the book back l6 so that if folds, indicated by parallel dotted lines 38 in Figure 3, were made to accommodate the width of said back l6, portions of these folds would extend lengthwise of the sections 35.

Now, as for the sections or flaps 34 and 36, these are substantially alike in area and, due to the location of the slits as heretofore set out and the width of the sections 33, 35 and 31, the width of each of the sections 34 and 36 is less than the width of the covers l0 and I3, although they have substantial width, as shown in Figure 3.

The sections 33 and 31 may be said to be divided into two parts by the fold lines 3| and 32 respectively and that the sections 35 may be said to be divided into three parts by the paralleling fold lines 38*.

With the protector folded as shown in Figure 3, i. e., with the sections or flaps 33, 35 and 31 folded inwardly and the sections or flaps 34 not folded, the protector presents four substantially right angular indentations 38 in the edges of the sheet, these indentations 38 taking the place of the four corners of the sheet, and a pair of indentations 39 in the side edges of the sheet, midway the ends thereof, the width throughout of each of these indentations 39 being substantially greater than the width of the books back I6.

With the arrangement as shown in Figure 3, the protector is placed over a book as shown in Figure 4, by folding inwardly along the line 3|, the end portion 29 and a part only of the sections or flaps 31 and then folding inwardly, along the line 32, the end portion 30 and a part only of the flaps 33. The outer corners of the cover [6 may now be inserted into the pockets joined by the end portion 29 and parts of the flaps 31 and the outer corners of the cover 13 may be inserted into the pockets formed by the end portion 30 and parts of the flaps 33. There is now a single thickness of material against the outer face and three thicknesses of material against the inner face of each cover I 6 and l 3 at the comers which corners are pocketed in the protector.

By next raising the cover Ill and folding inwardly the flaps or sections 36 against the inner face I2 thereof and overlapping parts of the end portions 29, where an adhesive may be applied, as clearly illustrated, in Figure 5, the end portion 29 and flaps 36 may be secured together.

In the same way, the cover l3 may be raised and the remaining portion of the flaps or sections 34 may be folded against the inner face [5 thereof so as to overlap parts of the end portion 30, where an adhesive may be'applied in order to secure these overlapping parts to the end portion 30.

This incloses the book covers, as is clearly illustrated in Figure 6. From this illustration, it will be seen that the sections or flaps 34 and 36 do not extend in one direction to the juncture of the cover and back, nor extend in the other direction to the outer end edges of the covers. There is, in the first place, no tendency of the edges of the flaps 34 and 36 to bite into the outermost pages of the book, as has been found to be the case where flaps extend across the inner face of a cover to the juncture of such pages and covers, nor is there the tendency to tear the covers from the back. Since the opposite ends of the flaps 34 and 36 do not extend to the outer end edges of the covers, there is no tendency to tearing the former nor are there the objectionable unfolded edges of flaps aligning with the outer edges of the covers.

If the book be stood up, the lowermost edge will be raised from the supporting surface by those portions of the flaps 34 under the cover edges and there will be no wear upon these cover edges.

The extra thickness of material at the corners of the covers protects these corners very materially, yet the construction of the protector is such that the book covers have the necessary play and the book may be removed from its protector and replaced therein if desired.

Very often, the outer faces of book covers are rubbed, in opening and closing the book, by the protectors but it will be noted that in the construction herein disclosed, the covers are spaced slightly from the protector, except at the corners and at the back of the book, so that such wear is minimized.

Various changes may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claim.

What is claimed is:

In combination with a book, a book cover protector therefor, provided with a pair of end flaps anda plurality of spaced apart side flaps, said end flaps being folded over the inner faces of the covers of said book, and tabs'extending from the ends of said end flaps, said tabs projecting towards each other and lying partly over a section of said end flaps, said tabs being folded partly over part of the inner faces of said book covers at the outer corners thereof and partly folded over a portion of themselves, said side flaps being of less width than the covers of said book and being spaced a substantial distance from the back of said book, said side flaps being folded partly over the inner faces of said'covers and partly over said end flaps and being spaced a substantial distance from the free ends of said covers.

ROBERT PERRY SHARP. 

